Where does wine come from?
When it comes to the invention of wine, we might think of Italy and ancient Rome; Greece and the god of wine Dionysus; or France and its powerhouse wine regions like Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne; but the oldest known evidence of winemaking on the planet shows that wine traces its origins back much further to the east, in the caucuses mountains, in the country of Georgia (or Sakartvelo as it’s known to the locals 🇬🇪) over 8,000 years ago.
The unPINNED team shot an award-nominated documentary film on the Georgia and the origins of wine that all unPINNED members get free access to once the film is released in late 2023.
In Marneuli, Georgia – at a non-descript work-in-progress archaeological site — the oldest known evidence of winemaking was discovered in a clay pot, and Georgia was declared the inventor of wine based on the research published in a National Academy of the Sciences paper. Georgia’s wine story is filled with tragedy and war; resilience and triumph; god and legends; love and loss… all the makings of a beloved David-Goliath wine story. The country is beautiful, the people are hearty, and the wines are affordable. So why is it that most of us don’t know where wine comes from?
The 8,000-year old pot that contained evidence of the oldest known winemaking on earth.
Unfortunately, it’s the same discussion as to why we drink only 20 grapes when there are over 10,000 known wine grape varietals in the world. It’s the same discussion as to why wine tends to scare people more often than it inspires them. It’s the same discussion as to why unPINNED exists in the first place. The wine industry is built on consolidated power in the hands of a few, and, as a result, those few dictate what we drink and, even more scarily, what gets made. Fear drives consumers to make predictable buying decisions, and actually educating wine-drinkers is a threatening proposition to those few who currently have the power. And, that’s why most of us don’t know the true history and origins of wine. Because that knowledge is power, and that power is threatening to the monolith that is today’s U.S. wine industry.
Now that you know where wine comes from, if you’re curious to know what Georgian wine tastes like, there are some awesome wine shops out there that carry it like MacArthur’s Beverages (I’m not affiliated with them; I just think they’re awesome). While there’s not a whole lot of familiar for wine-buyers to latch onto when it comes to Georgian wine, that’s actually part of the appeal! Most Georgians have stayed true to their ancient winemaking traditions and their native varietals. They proudly plant, grow, vinify, and drink the ancient indigenous grapes that naturally thrive in their respective regions and climates. As a result, pretty much everything identifiable on a bottle of Georgian wine is unfamiliar, which means that you’re always in for a surprise and an adventure when it comes to Georgian wine.
As with any wine region, you can of course find behemoths using modern techniques pumping out large quantities of alcoholic grape juice. But with the small family wineries, it’s mostly hand-harvested, hand-sorted, naturally fermented (i.e. no added yeast) wines across the board. That means wines with fewer additives and more heart and soul. And through it all, Georgian wines are incredibly affordable – nearly two-thirds of Georgian wines retail for under $20 based on an analysis of price data available on Wine Searcher.
And now, a quick plug: for a whole lot more on the origins of wine, check out our documentary In Pursuit of Flavor — which you’ll get access to with a purchase of unPINNED.